Light Bicycle Carbon Rims

Hello MTBR,

Sorry for being late to the party and not participating in the forums in the past. We felt that we needed more experience before talking to customers here. We will try to answer your questions as openly as possible.

If you need warranty support, please fill out the form here. If you have an OEM inquiry or other important private message, then we invite you to contact us directly.

We have learned so much from our customers and it's been very exciting to be a part of the cycling industry. Your trust has allowed us to continually develop our product line and technology. Thank you to those who have given us a chance over the years!

Your company has clearly derived SUBSTANTIAL benefits from the mtbr community as witnessed by multiple threads focused on your products and hundreds, if not thousands, of posts discussing your rims. I suppose it's nice of you to begin participating, but I wonder what you intend to contribute in return? To date I have not seen your company provide any support to this site, such as paid advertising or sponsorship. This particular thread is no more than a free advertisement that you have initiated. What's in it for us and for mtbr?

Your company has clearly derived SUBSTANTIAL benefits from the mtbr community as witnessed by multiple threads focused on your products and hundreds, if not thousands, of posts discussing your rims. I suppose it's nice of you to begin participating, but I wonder what you intend to contribute in return? To date I have not seen your company provide any support to this site, such as paid advertising or sponsorship. This particular thread is no more than a free advertisement that you have initiated. What's in it for us and for mtbr?

Hi Myers005,

We hope to share some of our knowledge of what we've learned over the years and answer customers questions in a format they are comfortable in. We have noticed the interest on MTBR for our products and would like to provide up to date information to avoid confusion and mis-information. It is harder for a Chinese company to understand the cycling culture and terminology but we feel that we are in a position to participate in a meaningful way now.

We have not done major advertisements, sponsorship and initiated product reviews in the past. This is high on our priority list and we will certainly be contacting MTBR to investigate the possibilities! If you have any suggestions for us on what you would like to see, we'd be happy to hear from you.

If they actually paid for advertising, then they'd have to charge more, you know, kind of like the legit companies who advertise with sites like MTBR and in magazines, who provide sponsorship to local cycling programs, who invest $$$$ in R&D and testing, you know, stuff that ads up and makes honest retail products cost more than the ones sold directly from china using technology/designs stolen from these legit manufacturers.

Originally Posted by Myers005

Your company has clearly derived SUBSTANTIAL benefits from the mtbr community as witnessed by multiple threads focused on your products and hundreds, if not thousands, of posts discussing your rims. I suppose it's nice of you to begin participating, but I wonder what you intend to contribute in return? To date I have not seen your company provide any support to this site, such as paid advertising or sponsorship. This particular thread is no more than a free advertisement that you have initiated. What's in it for us and for mtbr?

One day your life will flash before your eyes, will it be worth watching??

My guess is the person posting as light bicycle is an american distributer who has agreed to be the North American face/voice for Light Bicycle. This person saw an void in the Customer Service department for Light Bicycle, and is now chosing to capatalize on this.

This is my best guess only, but I would think mtbr has helped to generate the majority of the business for light bicycle branded products.

We hope to share some of our knowledge of what we've learned over the years and answer customers questions in a format they are comfortable in. We have noticed the interest on MTBR for our products and would like to provide up to date information to avoid confusion and mis-information. It is harder for a Chinese company to understand the cycling culture and terminology but we feel that we are in a position to participate in a meaningful way now.

We have not done major advertisements, sponsorship and initiated product reviews in the past. This is high on our priority list and we will certainly be contacting MTBR to investigate the possibilities! If you have any suggestions for us on what you would like to see, we'd be happy to hear from you.

lol........ Instead of "if you have any suggestions for us on what you would like to see" It should read......."what you would like us to steal"

Holy shit guys! Give him/her a break. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they actually care about us and providing the best possible customer service. If they bite the hand that feeds them, then go for it. Otherwise, cut the crap!!!

If they actually paid for advertising, then they'd have to charge more, you know, kind of like the legit companies who advertise with sites like MTBR and in magazines, who provide sponsorship to local cycling programs, who invest $$$$ in R&D and testing, you know, stuff that ads up and makes honest retail products cost more than the ones sold directly from china using technology/designs stolen from these legit manufacturers.

We employ a team of full time engineers and invest a large amount of money in testing equipment and machinery to produce our rims. Each company must choose its own path to sell its products. We are not here to argue about who made what product first, who is copying who etc. There are two sides to every story.

Originally Posted by jonshonda

My guess is the person posting as light bicycle is an american distributer who has agreed to be the North American face/voice for Light Bicycle. This person saw an void in the Customer Service department for Light Bicycle, and is now chosing to capatalize on this.

This is my best guess only, but I would think mtbr has helped to generate the majority of the business for light bicycle branded products.

There are a few team members discussing and posting on MTBR and all of them work for Light Bicycle, not a distributor. We are here to try and answer questions as openly as possible and try to contribute to the MTBR forum.

Originally Posted by BlownCivic

Holy shit guys! Give him/her a break. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they actually care about us and providing the best possible customer service. If they bite the hand that feeds them, then go for it. Otherwise, cut the crap!!!

We thought the forum was a good place to address questions and concerns and to avoid misinformation. It is hard to interpret some of the comments, so we have several people involved to help. We genuinely want to increase our customer service level.

I think it happens like this. A factory does say "hey, lets copy some product out there and make piles of money" they are obviously a carbon factory and were probably making somthing oe in the bike world. They sell direct under a different brand. Maybe the OE only ordered a run of a thousand rims. Tooling for molds is big dollars, why toss them? After what seems like alot of sales on mtbr, the thought has to enter their minds to the fact they now have a retail bussines and should concentrate on customer support.

Yes they should help out mtbr as it possibly has been the majority of their orders.

We employ a team of full time engineers and invest a large amount of money in testing equipment and machinery to produce our rims. Each company must choose its own path to sell its products. We are not here to argue about who made what product first, who is copying who etc. There are two sides to every story.

I am 100% for a company supplying quality products to consumers at a lower cost than its competitors. Don't get me wrong.

I do have to ask a few questions though.

1) Does light bicycle own the factory the rims are being produced in?

2) Does this same factory produce carbon rims for other companies?

3) Do the same engineers that work for light bicycle also work on the projects for other companies?

4) Was light bicycle producing carbon rims for bicycles prior to being contracted by outside sources?

I am 100% for a company supplying quality products to consumers at a lower cost than its competitors. Don't get me wrong.

I do have to ask a few questions though.

1) Does light bicycle own the factory the rims are being produced in?

2) Does this same factory produce carbon rims for other companies?

3) Do the same engineers that work for light bicycle also work on the projects for other companies?

4) Was light bicycle producing carbon rims for bicycles prior to being contracted by outside sources?

Hi Jonshonda, Thank you for your questions.

1) It is the same owners. There is no "middle man" if that is what you are wondering, and we do not sell our rims (intentionally) to any Trading Companies.

2) Yes

3) Yes. Our engineers may help with OEM projects if they do not have their own engineer(s) on the project.

4) Yes. Selling products direct to consumers was the best way for us to understand what people wanted, and also attract OEM partnerships. Otherwise it is much harder for a younger company to get the opportunity to work with OEM's.

Well, I feel better now about Light Bicycle and their products from the standpoint of them creating products through their own RnD. Not simply taking (stealing) technology others developed/paid for and selling it as their own for a discounted price.

I am 100% for a company supplying quality products to consumers at a lower cost than its competitors. Don't get me wrong.

I do have to ask a few questions though.

1) Does light bicycle own the factory the rims are being produced in?

2) Does this same factory produce carbon rims for other companies?

3) Do the same engineers that work for light bicycle also work on the projects for other companies?

4) Was light bicycle producing carbon rims for bicycles prior to being contracted by outside sources?

It seems like you are trying to "catch" them for something but I think what your getting at is the basic principals of manufacturing these days.

I bet you could buy the hot item that any company is selling us Americans, for premium prices, direct from China for next to nothing if you had the channels. LB just seems smart enough to make it easy to do, and will benefit from this decision (until one of their customers learns to write up a strong contract).

Who did they steal their designs and technology from? My ENVEs seem to have a different layup process. On the cycling rim manufacturing front it seems that China is the innovator. Other than suspension design, I wonder how much input western engineers have regarding manufacturing cycling products.

Who did they steal their designs and technology from? My ENVEs seem to have a different layup process. On the cycling rim manufacturing front it seems that China is the innovator. Other than suspension design, I wonder how much input western engineers have regarding manufacturing cycling products.

Well, I just don't think China does much without being asked to. 99.9 times out of 100 someone comes to China to manufacture a new item, but a Chinese company introducing something new an innovative to the market doesn't happen. They typically tend to capitalize on knock-offs or very "similar" technology to existing products.

Well, I just don't think China does much without being asked to. 99.9 times out of 100 someone comes to China to manufacture a new item, but a Chinese company introducing something new an innovative to the market doesn't happen. They typically tend to capitalize on knock-offs or very "similar" technology to existing products.

Do you have any references to back that up that stat? I have no idea myself, but I understand that many companies focus on cost and efficiency, which in itself provides significant value.

Well, I just don't think China does much without being asked to. 99.9 times out of 100 someone comes to China to manufacture a new item, but a Chinese company introducing something new an innovative to the market doesn't happen. They typically tend to capitalize on knock-offs or very "similar" technology to existing products.

I would think it would be hard for a culture such as China to anticipate some of our needs especially US mountain bikers. I'm not a China fanboy, in fact I feel our industry and government leaders should work on providing a stronger more specialized long term manufacturing base.

i'm no expert, and it's pretty small, but looks like a rock strike to me.

yeah it is small about the size of a nipple, I am just a little worry, it may "grow", the rims only 1 month old. It may caused by rock strike, not sure, but I saw the skin peeling off while cleaning bike. Like Varaxis said, clearcoat damage.

I have some surface crap on mine, but it doesn't look worrying to me. But mine are over a year old and have spent a couple of summers on the Colorado Front Range will all the rocks and crap there. Very happy with the result so far.

so what do you think? I emailed also.
looks like the thin skin is peeling off. what may have caused it?

Hi Inter,

It looks like that was caused from a rock strike. That is the matte finish which has bubbled up a bit, it is not the carbon fiber. The best way to check these areas for significant damage (to the actual carbon) is to press on it. If you feel it move, then you've got a weak spot.

Hopefully this thread can stay focused on tech support for existing customers.

My question:any suggestions on how to repair cosmetic damage (scrapes etc) on your rims?
I have some UD gloss finish rims that are looking pretty rough although functionally they're %100.
I also have some UD matte rims, same question.

LB, will you be mfg any other asymmetrical 26 inch rim in the 30mm internal width beside the 28in that were mention a few times in MTBR? I like the 31.6mm that I have but would like to build a 26 Asym wheelset in 30mm internal width.

Hopefully this thread can stay focused on tech support for existing customers.

My question:any suggestions on how to repair cosmetic damage (scrapes etc) on your rims?
I have some UD gloss finish rims that are looking pretty rough although functionally they're %100.
I also have some UD matte rims, same question.

Thanks!

Hi FM, I'll need to consult with some more team members on this to see what might help. I have been thinking about this lately as well. Here are my initial thoughts:

- They could be wet-sanded and then apply a new finish (probably not feasible for most end-users)
- Clean as best you can and apply new stickers to cover up the bad scrapes from someone like this
- We've seen clear protective tape made by 3M etc. used to protect carbon bike frames from damage. Is anyone doing this for carbon rims?
- We are testing some new ideas to improve the scratch resistance on future rims. I think scratches will be inevitable, but as with anything it can be improved upon.

I'll ask around when some of the other workers are back and see if they have any suggestions on how to help.

LB, will you be mfg any other asymmetrical 26 inch rim in the 30mm internal width beside the 28in that were mention a few times in MTBR? I like the 31.6mm that I have but would like to build a 26 Asym wheelset in 30mm internal width.

Hi ckspeed,

If you sign up for our Newsletter, we'll be sending out a product poll. The poll will list a number of rims we are considering and you can vote for your favourite. You will also have the opportunity to list your dream rim if it's not listed in the poll.

The easiest way to sign up for our newsletter is by going to our website and scrolling down to the bottom. You just have to provide your e-mail and that's it. We will only be sending occasional newsletters, but if you ever wish to remove yourself from the list you just click the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of your email and then you are removed.

It looks like that was caused from a rock strike. That is the matte finish which has bubbled up a bit, it is not the carbon fiber. The best way to check these areas for significant damage (to the actual carbon) is to press on it. If you feel it move, then you've got a weak spot.

He could also tap on with something, like a quarter or small box wrench. The good carbon will give a resonating sound while a damaged area will give a dull thud.

It looks like that was caused from a rock strike. That is the matte finish which has bubbled up a bit, it is not the carbon fiber. The best way to check these areas for significant damage (to the actual carbon) is to press on it. If you feel it move, then you've got a weak spot.

LB, no weak spot, no leaking air also. Just worry it will "grow". for now, I just put clear tape on it.

LB, no weak spot, no leaking air also. Just worry it will "grow". for now, I just put clear tape on it.

Hi Inter, We received your e-mail but we might as well finish the conversation on MTBR since it was posted here already. Another option to consider would be applying masking tape all around the area and then wetting very fine grit sandpaper and removing the "bubbly" top layer in that area. Sand very lightly as you don't want to be sanding the actual carbon. Then remove the masking tape. The masking tape is just there so you don't accidentally sand too much surface area. I don't think it will spread that easily unless it gets hit by a rock in that same area. I would just keep an eye on it for now, or apply a clear layer of tape over that spot as you've said.

Cool. I've been following threads/posts about Light Bicycle for a really long time so this is exciting to see.

I like your website. One thing that would be nice though to see in the future is the ability to configure and order one wheel (front or back) instead of being locked into a pair. Stan's is like this as well as others.

I just find it to be more flexible and easier to upgrade, or if you blow up a wheel (any brand) and want to replace it etc. I bought just a rear wheel online (Stan's) earlier this year even because I wanted a 2nd rear wheel with a dif tire setup.

I probably would have bought an LB wheel by now if it were setup that way.

Cool. I've been following threads/posts about Light Bicycle for a really long time so this is exciting to see.

I like your website. One thing that would be nice though to see in the future is the ability to configure and order one wheel (front or back) instead of being locked into a pair. Stan's is like this as well as others.

I just find it to be more flexible and easier to upgrade, or if you blow up a wheel (any brand) and want to replace it etc. I bought just a rear wheel online (Stan's) earlier this year even because I wanted a 2nd rear wheel with a dif tire setup.

I probably would have bought an LB wheel by now if it were setup that way.

Hi zephxiii,

This is a great suggestion. We have assumed customers would e-mail us for an option not shown on the website, but I agree that it would be nice to have a single wheel option built into the program. Maybe the first option would be "complete wheelset", "front wheel only", "rear wheel only".

Last week we launched an improved wheelset building tool that provides some pictures and information as you click through the options. I'll see if our programmer can add the front/rear/complete option to this.

Regarding rims scratches, my rear rim is covered with scuffs and scratches, some pretty deep. I've been riding on this for the last year and it's holding up just fine. I think that little nick will be ok.

Regarding rims scratches, my rear rim is covered with scuffs and scratches, some pretty deep. I've been riding on this for the last year and it's holding up just fine. I think that little nick will be ok.

Hi LB
Thanks for posting here. I've bought 2 Wheelsets from you which were both great.
Do you plan on offering Bitex hubs anytime soon? I'm curious as to why you guys are sticking with Novatec, which are absolutely garbage. I've blown up multiple rear 772's and I know many folks who have had the same experience. The Bitex hub is very affordable , light and high engagement for what it is. Why stick with Novatec? I think I would have already bought a few more wheels from the LB builders if you offered a Bitex option.
Thanks

Hi LB
Thanks for posting here. I've bought 2 Wheelsets from you which were both great.
Do you plan on offering Bitex hubs anytime soon? I'm curious as to why you guys are sticking with Novatec, which are absolutely garbage. I've blown up multiple rear 772's and I know many folks who have had the same experience. The Bitex hub is very affordable , light and high engagement for what it is. Why stick with Novatec? I think I would have already bought a few more wheels from the LB builders if you offered a Bitex option.
Thanks

We tried selling the Bitex hubs in the past but they were not very popular for us, so we had to stop stocking them. In another post, we were talking about offering individual wheels. So maybe a good option would be to match a black DT Swiss 350 or Hope rear to a front wheel with a cheaper black Novatec hub.

Update: We should have the individual wheel program updated on our site by the end of this week!

Originally Posted by light bicycle

Hi zephxiii,

This is a great suggestion. We have assumed customers would e-mail us for an option not shown on the website, but I agree that it would be nice to have a single wheel option built into the program. Maybe the first option would be "complete wheelset", "front wheel only", "rear wheel only".

Last week we launched an improved wheelset building tool that provides some pictures and information as you click through the options. I'll see if our programmer can add the front/rear/complete option to this.

Hi LB
Thanks for posting here. I've bought 2 Wheelsets from you which were both great.
Do you plan on offering Bitex hubs anytime soon? I'm curious as to why you guys are sticking with Novatec, which are absolutely garbage. I've blown up multiple rear 772's and I know many folks who have had the same experience. The Bitex hub is very affordable , light and high engagement for what it is. Why stick with Novatec? I think I would have already bought a few more wheels from the LB builders if you offered a Bitex option.
Thanks

Agreed - I've been considering a set of LB wheels for some time now, but the hubs are what throws me off. I don't want to spend the additional $$ for the higher-end hub offerings, but my experience has always been that Bitex hubs are much better than the NovaTec equivalents.

I may end up buying rims separately and having them built to Bitex hubs locally.

Two questions: any idea if the DT Swiss 240 hubs will be available with Boost 148 rear?

And with your wheel builder could you add a feature that totals build weight.

Thanks

Hi Jon123,

Yes, we are ordering Boost DT 240 hubs, they might not be here until ~February though.

For the wheelset weight, yes we would like to add this in the future. If you want to check DT wheelset weights with our rims, the DT Swiss spoke calculator is very accurate. Enter the rim ERD and weights and then choose from the list of DT Swiss parts (spokes/hubs/nipples). It will calculate the weights of the front/rear and wheelset. It even accounts for the weight change due to spoke lengths.

Hi Alixta, Initially, we were planning on doing DT 240's and Hopes in Boost format. We'll re-consider boost 350's. Do you prefer the J-bend or straight pull version, centerlock or 6-bolt rotors, 28 or 32h?

Do you think the Boost hubs will be really popular in 2016, and is it mostly the boost rear hubs people will want or the complete set? There is a boost front hub which is 110x15mm instead of 100x15mm.

Sorry, you asked us 1 question and we respond with asking you 5 more questions...

Thank You!

I know you didn't ask me this question but ... I think you will find there will be increasing demand for Boost hubs. Frame manufacturers are switching over - Santa Cruz, Ibis, Pivot, Yeti for example. And it's only going to increase.

I know you didn't ask me this question but ... I think you will find there will be increasing demand for Boost hubs. Frame manufacturers are switching over - Santa Cruz, Ibis, Pivot, Yeti for example. And it's only going to increase.

Thank you for your feedback Jon. Yes, it's hard for us to figure out when it will start to change and if the boost front wheels will be as popular as the rears.

I know a lot of serious riders that own nothing other than DT hubs, due almost solely to the star-drive ratchet mechanism. Many race on 240s, but find 350s more than adequate for every day training wheels.

I know a lot of serious riders that own nothing other than DT hubs, due almost solely to the star-drive ratchet mechanism. Many race on 240s, but find 350s more than adequate for every day training wheels.

Hi Kosmo, yes we are wondering about this also. The 350's have really good value and one could upgrade the bearings if they wanted something one step closer to 240's. The freehubs are the same. 240's and 350's are upgradeable to 36 and 54t star ratchets and we see the availability getting better on these.

Is there an option to get only the logo on your avatar put on the rims vs the large Light-Bicycle logo that is available now? Do your decals go under the clear coat?

Hi Acme,

We just designed the new logo (on our Avatar). Our current models are not replaceable and are applied underneath. We are working on new decal designs that are replaceable and applied on top of the clear coat. This style is a bit heavier and thicker than the current decals, but I think the new design will look awesome and it is nice to be able to replace them easily!

I am not quite sure what is happening with your Avatar. But i like it.

Yes, we are ordering Boost DT 240 hubs, they might not be here until ~February though.

For the wheelset weight, yes we would like to add this in the future. If you want to check DT wheelset weights with our rims, the DT Swiss spoke calculator is very accurate. Enter the rim ERD and weights and then choose from the list of DT Swiss parts (spokes/hubs/nipples). It will calculate the weights of the front/rear and wheelset. It even accounts for the weight change due to spoke lengths.

We just designed the new logo (on our Avatar). Our current models are not replaceable and are applied underneath. We are working on new decal designs that are replaceable and applied on top of the clear coat. This style is a bit heavier and thicker than the current decals, but I think the new design will look awesome and it is nice to be able to replace them easily!

I am not quite sure what is happening with your Avatar. But i like it.

are those the only decals on the rims? i like that style much better than the old one

Yeah those are the only ones. I specifically requested them this way so I don't know if they plan to make it a normal thing or not. These may be the only ones they ever do like this unless you specifically ask, I don't know.

They do look loads better than the old logo. There was way too much going on with that. These are the first I've ordered from them with any sort of logos.

Yeah those are the only ones. I specifically requested them this way so I don't know if they plan to make it a normal thing or not. These may be the only ones they ever do like this unless you specifically ask, I don't know.

They do look loads better than the old logo. There was way too much going on with that. These are the first I've ordered from them with any sort of logos.

Asymmetrical Rim Update

Our new asymmetrical rims are now online and in stock, here are the details:

We have had these molds at the factory for a while now but wanted to perfect the layup and the whole program before releasing on our website. The new rims are 28mm internally and 34mm externally with a relatively thick and short hookless bead for solid impact protection. They have the usual bead seat bump for ease of tubeless setup and security against burping. The 650 version weighs in at 400-410g per rim and the 29 425-435g. We've called the lighter version the AM728 and AM928 respectively (7 or 9 is for the diameter, and the 28 is the internal width). The AM is the light version, and the EN728 and EN928 is the heavier version with extra reinforcement which adds about 45-50g to each rim. We do a complete T700 3k wrap internally so you're getting reinforcement on the sidewalls, center channel, and nipple seats. The EN version is good for more aggressive Enduro style riders.

We have these rims in stock with a UD matte finish and they can ship within 2 days. If you prefer a glossy finish, 3k, or 12k weave exterior, we can still make those for you, but there would be a wait.

We have gone with a new style of decal for these rims which are easily replaceable, so you can swap to another colour or replace if you get a bad scratch. All of these rims come with decals at no extra charge and you can choose from the 7 different colours at checkout (all colours are in stock).

The spoke holes are drilled on angles (left/right/left) so the nipples pull more in line with the spokes which reduces stress. The asymmetric profile is offset 2.6mm which evens out the spoke tension from left to right. It results in a more durable wheel build and we did not go too crazy on the offset so it works great with boost hubs as well as standard.

We offer a 2 year 25% off crash replacement policy (on these rims only).

At checkout, we've added a PP35 discount code which essentially removes the PayPal fee. This is active for these rims only.

Our new lightweight black anodized alloy valves and tubeless rim tape are now in stock. We've added that to the accessories tab on our site. You can order it as a separate item for now, but we will be adding it to our wheel builds soon (so that you can have it installed for you).

They're in china. The chat on their website goes live around 8-9pm EST and I have never had a problem using that.

i understand they are in china, i will try to use their chat tonight thank you. i was just trying to get a hold of someone and figured they were online right now posting. i am single dad so sometimes by 9pm i am ready to pass out

i understand they are in china, i will try to use their chat tonight thank you. i was just trying to get a hold of someone and figured they were online right now posting. i am single dad so sometimes by 9pm i am ready to pass out

E-mail : sales@light-bicycle.com
Sales : +86-18030305013
Skype : light_bicycle
Chat: There is a live chat at the bottom of our website. If you leave a message during office hours, we will be able to chat live, otherwise we will follow up by e-mail. We take lunch together at ~12 daily so there may be a delay during this time.

When will the asymmetrical 28mm rims you talk about be available online as a wheelset? Not just rim only option.

Thanks

Hi Jon,

They are available now, we just have to build them up. We'll be updating the site to add a wheels page and the custom wheel build form, but for now you can just send us an e-mail with what you'd like and we'll provide a quote by e-mail.

welcome to the boards. I enjoy chatting directly with the manufacturers here.

So, I don't have a question, just wanted to welcome you and endorse the products. I just built my second set of LB rims. I cracked the first running too-low pressures in a bike park. Totally my fault and a full year past the warranty expiration but hey, it IS a wear item after all. In my opinion if you don't beat up your rims you're not riding hard enough. Reason I mention it is I ran those cracked rims (set up tubeless) for a full summer of local trail riding and they still held air. Eventually the cracks grew and I got a little worried, but for anyone worried about scratches or cosmetic damage, rest easy, these things are very strong.

welcome to the boards. I enjoy chatting directly with the manufacturers here.

So, I don't have a question, just wanted to welcome you and endorse the products. I just built my second set of LB rims. I cracked the first running too-low pressures in a bike park. Totally my fault and a full year past the warranty expiration but hey, it IS a wear item after all. In my opinion if you don't beat up your rims you're not riding hard enough. Reason I mention it is I ran those cracked rims (set up tubeless) for a full summer of local trail riding and they still held air. Eventually the cracks grew and I got a little worried, but for anyone worried about scratches or cosmetic damage, rest easy, these things are very strong.

Thank you for the kind words and your support. We love hearing these stories from our customers!!

I bought a set of Bitex hubs from BHS and shipped them to l-b last November. Shipping to China wasn't cheap, about $55, but I still ended up with a great wheelset for considerably less than any other option. Basically a pair of l-b 38/i32 AM with Bitex/BHS 180/270 hubs and XD freehub for $780 total all in assembled, shipping both ways and everything. Also had custom paint, but no decals. Service for me was great. Warranty is warranty; nothing is promised after when it's expired.

Hey LB, I have been super happy with my 38mm, 650b rims.. Had them built up locally with Lefty front hub and Am Class 225 rear hub. 1,700 grams.

I saw a question the other day regarding water getting into the wheel through the spokes and it has no way to escape. I never thought about this before, but it is true. I saw another Carbon Fiber rim had a weep hole next to the valve stem on the sidewall. That makes sense. It only allows water to drain from the cavity on the other side of the tubeless zone. My old aluminum rims had a pinned joint so water was able to escape. No such route for your rims without a weep hole.

I saw a question the other day regarding water getting into the wheel through the spokes and it has no way to escape. I never thought about this before, but it is true. I saw another Carbon Fiber rim had a weep hole next to the valve stem on the sidewall. That makes sense. It only allows water to drain from the cavity on the other side of the tubeless zone. My old aluminum rims had a pinned joint so water was able to escape. No such route for your rims without a weep hole.

Thanks for your support.

If your spokes are tensioned properly it is essentially water tight. It is not truly water tight but unless the rim is submersed, in a stationary position for hours, maybe days, there should be no way a significant amount of water could get in. I've never seen a rim with a weep hole. I'd think that would invite more water in than the microscopic gaps between a tensioned nipple/spoke and rim.

If your spokes are tensioned properly it is essentially water tight. It is not truly water tight but unless the rim is submersed, in a stationary position for hours, maybe days, there should be no way a significant amount of water could get in. I've never seen a rim with a weep hole. I'd think that would invite more water in than the microscopic gaps between a tensioned nipple/spoke and rim.

Derby is the brand with drain holes. I have a pair, and am not sold on it being an advantage.

crack LB rim

My 5 month old rear rim just crack on last ride. not sure how it happened, no crashes, no jumping, no big drops.
Wondering what kind of warranty, or if i still could fix it. I already email LB.

it was 25 miles or trail riding, mix of smooth flowy singletrack, some rock garden, fire road, etc..nothing crazy technical. I noticed this crack at mile 19 while waiting for my buddies. i honestly did not recall any impact or rock strike. No leaking so far, still holding the pressure well.

this is the same rim on my previous post regarding delaminating spot, which I put clear tape over, you can see on this pic as well.

I wouldn't ride that it might fail badly. Really its a tough environment for carbon rims and it could have been damaged/scratched earlier without noticing on a rock strike etc, thats what happens with carbon components. Bad luck but I would not hesitate on getting a replacement, so many people have had good service from these rims and there are bound to be failures/damage in the law of averages with what we do with them in my opinion.